Vancouver Police Appeal to Public to Identify Van Involved in Gastown Sexual Assault

DH Vancouver StaffOct 21, 2013 11:12 am

Vancouver Police are releasing a video of a possible suspect vehicle after a woman was severely beaten and sexually assaulted on Saturday, October 12th.

At approximately 2:00 a.m. on October 12th, a 25 year old North Vancouver woman was leaving the Gastown area of Vancouver. She flagged down what she believed to be a cab in the 100 block of Water near Abbott Street and got inside. She was driven to an area in East Vancouver where she was sexually assaulted.

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The woman managed to escape her attacker and get help from a member of the public, who called 9-1-1.

The woman has now been released from hospital, following treatment for her injuries.

The suspect was described as an Aboriginal man, approximately 35 to 39 years old and 5’11″ to 6′ tall. He is obese with a large belly, about 230 to 250 pounds and a shaved head.

The vehicle driven by the man is believed to be an older model dark minivan with sliding doors on both sides.

Police now believe that the van in the video was involved in the sexual assault of the woman. The images of the vehicle were captured on a CCTV camera following the incident.

There have been no arrests in the case and no suspects responsible for the attack have been identified.

Anyone with information about this van or the attacker is asked to call the Vancouver Police Sex Crimes Unit at (604) 717-0602 or Crime Stoppers at 1 (800) 222 8477.